Friday Pie Day: How to Enjoy Summer Fruit Pies All Year Long

by Rhoda Boone

on 08/15/14 at 04:24 PM

It's Friday Pie Day and we're swooning over pies made with juicy, perfectly ripe stone fruit from the farmers' market. But what will we do in November when summer's bounty is gone? With a little effort now, you can enjoy the taste of fresh stone fruit all winter long.

If you got a little overzealous at the sight of plump peaches and plums, not to worry. Everyone knows you can freeze ripe fruit for smoothies, but how about for pie? Freeze filling now to preserve fruit at its best and bake later. Mix your sliced fruit, sugar, spices, and any other filling ingredients in a bowl (this method works best for pies with fruit filling, not custards). Line a metal pie pan with a long piece of foil, then plastic wrap. Pour in the in the filling, fold plastic wrap over, and then wrap foil to seal. Freeze until solid, about 8 hours. Remove the fruit disc from the pan and freeze the disc up to 6 months.

When you're ready to bake your pie, line a pie pan with dough, unwrap the frozen fruit disc, and place it (still frozen) into the unbaked dough shell. Finish assembling the pie according to the recipe. Bake until juices are bubbling and thickened, adding 15 to 30 minutes to the baking time stated in the recipe. If the crust gets too dark, cover with foil. Enjoy!